Here is a link to Rescue, historical one of the UKs most important organizations in creating legalization to protect historic and prehistoric archaeology, sites and towns-capes.

Whatever views may be held on Brexit per se, I think people reading hear all have a concern to ensure that the UK doesn't lose its good standards of heritage protection - specifically the Principle that the funding to mitigate impacts of modern development should originate from the developer- as either part of the overall project cost (as currently done here) or even via central bodies funded by 'development levies' (as done some other countries).

It is not a perfect system granted - leaving the funding of heritage in the hands of commercial managers and accountants has its own special problems. But we need to start somewhere, and our current system could work well enough of the Quality of Commercial Archaeological work is sufficient, and the process open enough for experts and public alike to be satisfied...that perhaps is a longer fight :/

Please read the open letter from Rescue, and I hope you agree that UK heritage probably is better off with 'polluter pays' principle than without.

(unless we Nationalize the whole thing somehow - but that is maybe a different issue...)

Whatever views may be held on Brexit per se, I think people reading hear all have a concern to ensure that the UK doesn't lose its good standards of heritage protection - specifically the Principle that the funding to mitigate impacts of modern development should originate from the developer- as either part of the overall project cost (as currently done here) or even via central bodies funded by 'development levies' (as done some other countries).

Please read the open letter from Rescue, and I hope you agree that UK heritage probably is better off with 'polluter pays' principle than without.

As I say (and from many years involvement with commercial archaeology), it is a system that is far from prefect.

The real worry is that without current baseline priniples, there might be a move to push costs back on local authorities (eek), or have new hardly-at-all-accountable agency/consultancies (themselves commercial business) dictate the value of archaeology and heritage.

I view this as part of a sustained attack on publicly accountable Planning Systems and Local Councils - County Archaeological & Museum Services have all but disappeared, especially in the last 10 years, and many are essentially on their last legs (with a few exceptions) - even the Archaeological Planners are reduced to skeleton staff, making efficient and thorougher over-site of standards and planning briefs increasingly difficult

Non-publicly accountable 'environmental' consultancies are rapidly filling and would very happy to take over, the roles of publicly employed Planners and Council Officials.

In the present climate, I think a change to current polluter pays principle can only be very bad for British Archaeology as a whole, despite the principles own weaknesses as a way to manage our shared Heritage.